7-9 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Relatively large c.1840s two storey terrace house now occupied with shops and dental surgery, with late Victorian shop front and concrete pantile covered roof. The property is set on the south side of Main Street, Greyabbey.

The front elevation faces roughly N and is asymmetrical. To the centre there is a panelled timber door with fanlight all encased with an ‘in and out’ surround, with entablature, cornice and blocking course. The upper panels of the door have semicircular arch heads. This doorway leads to a hallway with stairs the dentist’s surgery on the first floor [No.7]. There is a small projecting sign above and to the right of the doorway.

To the left of the doorway is a shop front [No.9]. In the centre of this shop front is a timber and glazed double shop door with semicircular arch heads to glazed panels. Above this is a fanlight with tracery, with both door and fanlight encased with panelled pilasters with curved brackets. To either side of the doorway is a three light (six pane) shop window with semicircular arch heads to lights and pilasters (as doorway) to the sides of window opening. Directly above the doorway and windows is a painted signboard with a dentilled cornice above this. To the right of the doorway of No.9 is sash window, with Georgian panes (6/6), with a simple surround and cheval de fries to cill. This window belongs to a small one room picture shop (which is technically part of No.7). To the far right is an elliptical arch headed carriage opening (with wrought iron gates) which leads to a large yard at the rear. Within the archway is a door to the small picture shop. To the first floor are five windows all as ground floor right, except for the fifth window which has frosted glass and no astragals. The front facade is finished in plain render with a chamfered plinth.

To the rear of this building is a small courtyard. There is a very large two level lean-to extension with an outside open staircase to its exposed E elevation, leading to an upper level door. At the E side of the rear of the lean-to is a small flat roofed extension with modern corner window. Attached to the W (right) side is a long single storey structure now converted to a coffee shop at the N end and several other smaller units at the S end. On the E exposed side of the rear of the main house is a first floor window (above the carriage arch) as front. On the E side of the courtyard is a shorter row of single storey former outbuildings now converted to small retail units.

The rear of the main house, the lean-to and the other units are mainly finished in roughcast. The roof of the main building is pitched with concrete pantiles, with three red and yellow brick chimney stacks, with a tall modern concrete brick stack to the rear. There are two cast iron skylights to the rear roof elevation. The roof of the lean to has asbestos 'slates' and three Velux windows. Cast iron rw goods.

Historical information

There appear to be buildings marked on this site on the OS map of 1834, but it is difficult to tell whether they match the siting of this block exactly. The revised map of c.1860, however, shows the site completely covered. The front facade appears much as today in a photograph of Main Street dating from c.1920.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1B/33 1st valuation, Greyabbey, c.1834-38
2 PRONI VAL/1D/3/17 Valuation plan, Greyabbey, c.1838
3 PRONI VAL/2B/3/4 Second valuation, Greyabbey, c.1859
4 PRONI VAL/2D/3/10 Second valuation plan, Greyabbey, 1859
5 PRONI OS/6/3/11/2 Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st Revision, c.1860 Co. Down 11
6 PRONI VAL/12B/23/16a-f Annual valuation revision books, Greyabbey, 1866-1930
7 PRONI VAL/12E/99/1 Valuation plan, Greyabbey, 1906-35
8 UFTM W.A. Green Collection WAG 3038 Photograph of Main Street Greyabbey looking south west

Secondary sources
1 Bob Trayte, "The Greyabbey and village" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.16' (1992), pp.2-4

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Relatively large c.1840s two storey terrace house now occupied with shops and dental surgery, with late Victorian shop front and pantile covered roof. To the rear is a large two storey lean-to and long single storey former outbuilding return (now converted to shop units).